Every spring, a Canada goose returns to the same spot outside a Key Bank in Milton, Washington. She builds her nest. She lays her eggs. She guards them fiercely, the way any mother would.

This spring, a man allegedly beat her with a metal sign.

Witnesses say 49-year-old Monte Laukala struck the goose repeatedly as she protected her nest. She was not threatening anyone. She was doing what mother geese do. She was keeping her eggs safe.

Canada geese are federally protected. Disturbing them is a crime. And yet this goose was beaten in broad daylight while her unhatched babies lay beneath her.

The town of Milton has rallied around her. Neighbors check on her daily. New signs now mark the nesting area to keep people away. The community has made clear that this goose has people watching out for her.

Now the court must do the same.

Laukala has pleaded not guilty and is due back in court next month. We are calling on the court to pursue the strongest possible penalties under Washington state and federal law. Attacking a nesting, federally protected bird is not a minor offense. It is a deliberate act of cruelty against a mother trying to protect her young.

The eggs have not yet hatched. The babies are still coming. They deserve a world where this kind of cruelty has real consequences.

Sign this petition and tell the court: justice for the goose and her babies.